Samsung Recalls Galaxy Fold Samples After Defect Reports

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is retrieving all Galaxy Fold samples dispersed to customers to examine reports of damaged screens, a day after it delayed the phone’s launch, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

The retrieval comes as the world’s biggest smart device maker met with humiliation ahead of the collapsible gadget’s United States release on April 26, with a handful of innovation journalists reporting breaks, bulges and blinking screens after a day’s use.

The South Korean tech giant delayed the handset’s launch for an unspecified time period while it investigated the matter. It said initial findings showed the problems might be associated with effect on exposed areas of the hinges. A representative declined to comment further on Tuesday.

A person with direct understanding of the supply chain stated KH Vatec carried out an internal evaluation of hinges utilized in the Galaxy Fold and discovered no defects. The supplier decreased to comment.

The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not. pic.twitter.com/G0OHj3DQHw

In March, Samsung released a video revealing robotics folding Galaxy Fold handsets 200,000 times for its resilience test. Samsung’s head of IT and mobile interactions, DJ Koh, has consistently said foldables are the future of mobile phones.

Though the concern does not harm Samsung’s balance sheet, the postponement harms the firm’s effort to display itself as an innovative first mover, not a quick follower, experts said. Sometimes, reviewers had actually peeled off a layer of film which they misinterpreted for a disposable screen protector.

” It’s devastating that Samsung sent samples to customers without clear directions on how to handle the gadget, which the company requires to repair screen flickering,” stated analyst Kim Young-woo at SK Securities.

One Samsung worker, speaking on condition of privacy, stated, “On the brilliant side, we have a chance to nail down this concern and repair it before selling the phones to a huge audience, so they won’t have exact same problems.”

Samsung emailed pre-order customers upon postponing the launch, online outlets said on Twitter. “Your pre-order warranties your location in the line for this innovative technology,” Samsung said in the email. “We’ll upgrade you with more particular shipping information in 2 weeks.”